GOSSIP GIRL. ( remus lupin )

Cʜᴀᴘɪᴛʀᴇ ᴅᴇᴜx

"LILY, DON'T YOU THINK that you're going a little overboard with all this O.W.L stuff?"

Estelle and Lily were walking back from the Great Hall. Their Mary Janes pattered silently against the floor, as their book bags swung gently at their sides. Estelle's hand hovered over the strap of her bag in a protective manner.

"No," Lily said, her face purely business. They stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Lily glanced at the portrait, who was holding a wine glass. "Oh, right, password ── Dibberidoppet."

"Correct."

The portrait hole silently swung open and the two girls slipped into the room.

"I'm worried that you won't pass the O.W.Ls, Estelle," Lily said, plunking her things down on a table and motioning for the Ravenclaw to do the same. "How are you going to fulfill your ambition to become an Auror if you don't pass?"

Estelle's deeply scarred face darkened.

Flashes of that night passed through her eyes ──── Vinda Rosier opening the door with her wand extended in front of her, the bizarre curse hitting her full in the face and leaving her looking like a war veteran. Rosier's cruel and sinister laughs filling the room as curses and jets of light danced around the room, destroying everything that got in their way ────

She blinked and saw Lily, with her face whitened.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Estelle," she whispered. "I didn't think, I forgot ── "

"It's fine," Estelle said, her voice cold and sharp.

Lily's face whitened even further and she nervously sat down. Estelle sat down across from her and turned to the side to glance at the two pairs of stairs on the two sides of the room.

On one, girls were going up and down, younger ones giggling and elder ones whispering among each other (perhaps about O.W.Ls ── or maybe the latest edition of Witch Weekly). The other was quite empty of traffic unlike its twin.

Estelle's lips curled into a thin smile.

The boys' dormitories.

At the very bottom of her bag was an envelope, freshly written from the sharp tip of a pheasant-feather quill, the dark black ink still wet and staining the cover of Estelle's potions book. The lipstick was not pressed on yet, it seemed to Estelle that was like the finale of the whole thing. The final part of the warning for that person, until all their darkest secrets would be unveiled to the school . . .

Was it dramatic? Perhaps, but Estelle liked to think not. Suspenseful? Yes, it sounded better than dramatic . . .

She was broken out of her stupor as Lily began describing her plan for the day's study session.

"I was thinking maybe we could do Charms first," she was saying. "I mean, it's perhaps the easiest subject we have right now, so get it done with, right?"

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "Really? I was thinking to do Potions first. While we're the most focused, it's probably best. We'll memorize all the ingredients, don't you think?"

Lily stood contemplating what she said. "Okay, sure," she said brightly. "But my potion materials are all in my dorm — if you'd excuse me for a moment —"

And she was gone with the swish of her dark red hair.

Without a second to lose, Estelle's hand slipped into the depths of her book bag and grasped the sharp edges of the envelope. She glanced around, and her gaze fell on the boys' staircase.